Entering the stretch, Fev Rover got the jump several paths to the inside of battling Charlie Appleby trainee With The Moonlight (Ire) (Frankel {GB}), a MGSW/MGISP Godolphin homebred, and last year's Queen's Plate winner Moira (Ghostzapper), the reigning Canadian Horse of the Year. She swapped to her wrong lead about a furlong from home, but had the race in hand, prevailing by 2 1/4 lengths while With The Moonlight outgunned Moira. The latter had beaten Fev Rover in their respective last outs, the GII Canadian S. Sept. 9.

Final time for the 1 1/4 miles over the good course was 2:04.20.

“I expected it to be my horse in the lead,” said Castellano. “I felt a lot of pressure outside. I tried to ride a smart race.”

Fev Rover was no slouch before being imported to North America last year. Under the tutelage of Richard Fahey, she had raced in England, Ireland, France, and Bahrain, with her scores including the G2 Ghadwell Prix du Calvados at two and her placings including the G1 QIPCO One Thousand Guineas at three. Fahey, under Musley Bank Stables, consigned her to the 2021 Tattersalls December Mare Sale, where Tracy Farmer picked her up for 695,000gns. Shipped to North American and Mark Casse in 2022, she made just three starts at four, all at Woodbine, defeating Moira in the GII Canadian S. and finishing third via DQ in that year's edition of the E.P. Taylor. She opened her 2023 campaign with guns blazing, starting her year with three consecutive 99 Beyer Speed Figures. With the E.P. Taylor, Fev Rover was adding her second Grade I score following a victory over Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), winner of Saturday's GI First Lady S. at Keeneland, in the GI Beverly D. S. Aug. 12 at Colonial Downs, where she had earned a fees-paid berth to the GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. She also has captured the GII Nassau S. and finished third in the GI Diana S. at Saratoga this summer.

Casse had indicated prior to the E.P. Taylor that Fev Rover was indeed being pointed to the Filly & Mare Turf, which will be contested Nov. 4 at Santa Anita.

#1 FEV ROVER (IRE) ($10.10) led early and was passed on the turn, but rebroke in the stretch to win @WoodbineTB's GI $750,000 E. P. Taylor Stakes!

This is the second top-level success for the 5yo mare, who was ridden by @jjcjockey for @markecasse and Tracy Farmer. pic.twitter.com/wUVZdypQTD

— TVG (@TVG) October 8, 2023

Pedigree Notes:

Fev Rover is the first top-level winner for Gutaifan (Ire), who stands at Haras des Faunes in France. The MGSW & G1SP stallion has four black-type winners total, with Fev Rover the only one venturing to this side of the pond. The Dark Angel (Ire) sire raced solely at two.

The late Epsom Derby and Breeders' Cup winner High Chaparral (Ire), sire of Fev Rover's dam, has 69 stakes winners out of his daughters. Laurelita (Ire)'s last reported foal is a yearling colt by Gutaifan's sire, Dark Angel. From the extended family of GISW Seek Again (Speightstown), she also has a 2-year-old filly named Leveret (Ire) (Invincible Army {Ire}), who has placed in one start in England this year.

Sunday, Woodbine Racetrack
E.P. TAYLOR S.-GI, C$766,000, Woodbine, 10-8, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/4mT, 2:04.20, gd.
1–FEV ROVER (IRE), 124, m, 5, by Gutaifan (Ire)
                1st Dam: Laurelita (Ire), by High Chaparral (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Chervil (GB), by Dansili (GB)
                3rd Dam: Nashmeel, by Blushing Groom (Fr)
(£20,000 Ylg '19 GOFFPR; 695,000gns 3yo '21 TATMA). O-Tracy Farmer; B-Manister House Stud (IRE); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Javier Castellano. C$450,000. Lifetime Record: GISW-U.S., SW & G1SP-Eng, GSW-Fr, GSP-Ire,19-6-4-3, $1,286,834. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–With The Moonlight (Ire), 124, f, 4, by Frankel (GB)
                1st Dam: Sand Vixen (GB) (GSW-Eng, $119,931), by Dubawi (Ire)
                2nd Dam: Fur Will Fly (GB), by Petong (GB)
                3rd Dam: Bumpkin (GB), by Free State (Ire)
O/B-Godolphin (IRE); T-Charles Appleby. C$150,000.
3–Moira, 124, f, 4, by Ghostzapper
                1st Dam: Devine Aida (MSW & GSP, $273,215), by Unbridled's Song
                2nd Dam: Passion, by Came Home
                3rd Dam: Rajmata, by Known Fact
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($150,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-X-Men Racing, Madaket Stables LLC and SF Racing LLC; B-Adena Springs (ON); T-Kevin Attard. C$90,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1 3/4, 3 1/4. Odds: 4.05, 2.70, 1.55.
Also Ran: Skims (GB), Kalifornia Queen (Ger), Aspen Grove (Ire), Amazing Grace (Ger), Atomic Blonde (Ger), Consumer Spending, Rocky Sky (Ire).

Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

The post Tracy Farmer’s Fev Rover Bests Them All in E.P. Taylor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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At Woodbine Entertainment, we own and operate two racetracks: Woodbine Mohawk Park (Standardbred racing) and Woodbine Racetrack (Thoroughbred racing). If you are reading this with interest, it's important to understand that Woodbine operates as a not-for-profit minded organization. The late, great breeder and visionary, E.P. Taylor, donated a large piece of land in Toronto where Woodbine Racetrack is now situated. His vision was to provide this land, and this racetrack, to the hardworking horse people of Ontario so they would always have a place to race horses and earn a living doing so. Woodbine Entertainment, formerly the Ontario Jockey Club, carries the responsibility, mandate, and obligation to honour his vision. We do not have an owner nor shareholders. We have an independent and committed Board of Directors whose job is to ensure that this mandate is strictly followed. Our executive management team is accountable to this Board.  Every decision we make is to create a strong and sustainable Ontario horse racing industry. That's why Woodbine exists, and for no other reason. Every dollar of profit we make is invested to support the entire Ontario horse racing industry. Our vision and ambition is to support all current industry stakeholders as best we can while also thoughtfully investing to grow the Ontario horse racing industry towards a strong, vibrant, and sustainable future.  It's a very difficult balance requiring judgment and trade-offs. We recognize that not everyone will agree with the decisions we make to achieve this balance, however, we hope and expect that everyone will respect our motivation and purpose to support the present and future of racing in Ontario.

A decade ago, the provincial government in power at the time ended a lucrative funding agreement that was supporting horse racing. This decision almost killed the industry in Ontario. At the time, the only path forward was for Woodbine Entertainment to lead the industry-something that was asked of us by the government, and staying true to E.P. Taylor's vision, we agreed. We worked tirelessly to reach a new long-term funding agreement that is now in place. To this day, we continue to lead the industry at a substantial cost to our operations, and we do so proudly.

While this long-term funding agreement is essential to our industry's existence today, our vision is to develop the property that Woodbine Racetrack is situated on to create new revenue streams that will eventually allow us to not depend on government funding. This will support our mandate to create a strong and sustainable Ontario horse racing industry. Every cent of profit generated from this investment will be used to support the industry. In addition to fueling substantially larger purses, we will be able to invest even more heavily in our racing facilities, people and industry support programs.

We're also investing in other game-changing areas like sports betting and technology-things that will further develop new revenue streams that will be spent back on racing in Ontario. Until we get some of these major initiatives across the finish line, we need to continue to operate prudently and be patient to allow the long-term vision to come to life. At the same time, we understand the challenges that all of our industry stakeholders face today. It's difficult to make a reasonable living, and we must provide as much support as financially possible while building towards a brighter future. We must allocate the dollars we have available today across numerous stakeholders that often have different priorities, issues, and needs.

In the meantime, wagering is Woodbine's primary line of business that can immediately drive significant incremental revenue. This revenue supports the above-mentioned purses and capital improvements. Therefore, healthy field sizes and competitive racing is necessary to provide a product that will drive wagering.

Despite the challenges our industry faces today, we are extremely confident in our future. We are a world-class racing industry with tremendous opportunity in front of us. We are blessed with an incredibly hardworking and talented group of horse people and employees. If we take care of our people today, and provide for a better future for them tomorrow, we will have successfully achieved the future E.P. Taylor envisioned decades ago.

Sincerely,

Hugh Mitchell

Chair, Board of Directors

Woodbine Entertainment

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“The race is at home and at a distance of a mile and a quarter,” Attard said. “She had a work over the turf course [five furlongs in 1:01.20] on Saturday and seemed to get over it very well and looked comfortable doing it. Those were the factors that played into it. The Keeneland race was very appealing, but we would have had to ship and put her on a van. She does have some quirks, so we weren't too sure about that because no one knows how she would handle shipping or if there would be any negative impact from that. We thought it be a safer bet to stay at home.”

Moira, who is 4-for-5 lifetime, was an easy winner of the Queen's Plate, the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, beating her fellow Ontario-breds by seven lengths. Attard and the owners, X-Men Racing, Madaket Stablkes LLC and SF Racing LLC, decided afterward to pass on the remaining two legs of the series in order to give their filly a chance of winning a Grade I race. In her lone try in graded company, Moira was second in last year's GIII Mazarine S.

Attard acknowledged that the E.P. Taylor will be a tough spot for his filly.

“She's obviously taking a big step up in class and is facing older horses for the first time,” he said. “There is a bit of a weight advantage.

Being a 3-year-old facing older fillies she will get four pounds. But it's always nice to stick to your own age group if you can. At the end of the day there is no such thing as an easy Grade I.”

All five of the filly's starts have come on the synthetic Tapeta surface at Woodbine. Attard is confident the switch to the grass will not be a problem.

“I think she will handle it,” he said. “Her dam is Devine Aida (Unbridled's Song) and she was a stakes winner on the turf. She has a sibling that was a minor stakes winner on the turf. She's bred to handle the turf and she looked good working over it. The forecast looks good for this week, so it looks like we will get a firm turf course. That's something else we factored into it.”

Depending on how she fares Saturday, Moira could return in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf.

“That is a possibility,” Attard said. “With the E.P. Taylor being four weeks from the Breeders' Cup versus three weeks for the Queen Elizabeth, that played into our decision as well.”

The post Moira Confirmed for E.P. Taylor appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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If he reaches 17 victories in a row, then Golden Sixty would match the winning streak of fellow Aussie racer Silent Witness, a legend in Hong Kong racing.

The 2020 Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Golden Sixty also was named the top miler and middle distance performer in Hong Kong last year, when he won all eight starts, including the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile. In 2021, the bay gelding has won his four starts, including the G1 Champions Mile, Stewards' Cup, and Hong Kong Gold Cup.

Unbeaten since July 2019, Golden Sixty has now won 18 of 19 lifetime starts, earning HK$80.6 million, about $9.8 million.

Bred in Australia by Asco International Pty Ltd, Golden Sixty is by Darley's international leading sire Medaglia d'Oro, who stands in Kentucky at the worldwide operation's Jonabell Farm.

One of 26 G1 winners by Medaglia d'Oro around the globe, Golden Sixty comes from a highly distinguished family, and one that has some intriguingly old connections close up. His third dam is Konafa (Damascus), a foal of 1973 who finished second to Flying Water (Habitat) in the 1976 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket.

Bloodstock legend E.P. Taylor bred much of this family at his Windfields Farms in Canada or Maryland and had purchased Konafa's second dam, Queen's Statute (Le Lavandou), out of the yearling sales at Newmarket. Unraced, Queen's Statute bred a half-dozen stakes winners for Windfields, including Canadian champion Dance Act (Northern Dancer), as well as his maiden-winning full sister Royal Statute.

Royal Statute followed suit as a producer with three stakes winners, including G1 Yorkshire Oaks winner Awaasif (Snow Knight), Akureyri (Buckpasser; G3 Fountain of Youth, second in G1 Florida Derby, first in G1 Remsen but disqualified to third), and Royal Lorna (Val de l'Orne; G3 Premio Bagutta).

Winner of a maiden, Royal Statute was bred to Horse of the Year Damascus (Sword Dancer) when she was a three-year-old and produced Konafa as her first foal. Taylor, through his Windfields Farm consignment, sold Konafa for $57,000 at the 1974 Saratoga select yearling auction.

And Konafa and her close relatives found a home in the select yearling sales that lasted for decades. After retirement, Konafa was sold in foal to leading sire Mr. Prospector for $625,000 at the 1980 Keeneland November breeding stock sale to BBA (England), acting for Stavros Niarchos.

The foal that Konafa was carrying turned out to be Proskona, who became the highweight 3-year-old filly in Italy, with a victory in the G2 Premio Umbria, among others. Konafa subsequently foaled Keos (Riverman; highweight older horse in Germany), the listed stakes winner Carnet Solaire (Sharpen Up), and Korveya, also by Riverman, a winner of the G3 Prix Chloe, and the dam of three classic winners.

These were Hector Protector (Woodman; highweight 2-year-old in France, won the French Guineas, Poule d'Essai des Poulains, and nine of 10 starts), Shanghai (Procida; French Guineas), and Bosra Sham (Woodman), who was highweight 3-year-old filly and highweight older filly. She won seven of 10 starts, including the Fillies Mile at two, then the 1996 English 1,000 Guineas and Champion Stakes. Although Bosra Sham's career was troubled with foot problems, trainer Henry Cecil called her the best horse he had ever trained, and he had already trained multiple classic winners. (Frankel came much later.)

Korveya's classic produce represented a high point in the success and reputation of this family. The mare's other daughters included Gioconda (Nijinsky), who produced Ciro (Woodman). A top juvenile when he won the G1 Grand Criterium at Longchamp, Ciro progressed sufficiently to win the G1 Prix Lupin and Secretariat Stakes at 3. Another daughter of Korveya, Tapatina (Seeking the Gold), became the dam of Internallyflawless (Giant's Causeway), winner of the G1 Del Mar Oaks.

Although Korveya was the star producer from her dam, another of Konafa's daughters, Leo's Lucky Lady (Seattle Slew) ran second in a minor stakes at the Meadowlands and produced seven winners, including G2 winner Gaudeamus (Distorted Humor), who is the dam of Golden Sixty.

Winner of the G2 Debutante Stakes at two in Ireland for Jim Bolger, Gaudeamus was sold privately as a broodmare for the Southern Hemisphere, where Golden Sixty is her third black-type performer and first major winner.

Her son Golden Sixty is carrying the torch for family with his domination of racing in Hong Kong, but in addition, this year's Breeders' Cup juvenile turf winners both descend from Royal Statute. Modern Games descends from Konafa through Proskona, and Pizza Bianca comes from Royal Statute's daughter Victoress (a $1.1 million Keeneland July yearling by Conquistador Cielo) through the Irish-bred Gwynn (Darshaan) and White Hot (Galileo), who is the dam of Pizza Bianca.

The post Bloodlines: Hong Kong Superstar Golden Sixty Bolsters A Global Pedigree appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The E.P. Taylor, a 1 ¼-mile turf test for fillies & mares, three-year-olds and upward, is complemented by the Nearctic, a six-furlong grass engagement for 3-year-olds and upward.

Conditioner Christophe Clement will be represented by a pair of top contenders in the form of La Dragontea and Mutamakina.

A four-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega-La Concorde, La Dragontea will make her second straight start at Woodbine. Bred by Bartisan Racing Ltd., the dark bay took the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes on Sept. 18, fending off a stiff challenge at the stretch call to win the 1 1/8-mile turf race by a length over Court Return.

“I think she ran very well,” said Clement. “[Joel] Rosario was very confident, and she was very impressive. She's been improving all year long.”

It was the fourth win from 12 starts for the Reeves Thoroughbred Racing and Rebecca Hillen-owned mare.

Since arriving in North America, La Dragontea has recorded a mark of 3-0-0 from five starts.

“She had two wins in New York. She ran in the stakes race [fourth in the Grade 3 Robert G. Dick Memorial, on July 10] at Delaware and she did not get the best race scenario. She's been a nice filly and she's improving. It's exciting to have her. Her works have been good, and I just hope that the turf is not too soft. I don't mind it soft, just not too soft because it is always a bit extreme.”

Mutamakina, a five-year-old daughter of Nathaniel-Joshua's Princess, also comes into the E.P. Taylor off a winning effort at Woodbine.

The bay mare held on for a half-length score in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly Stakes on Aug. 22, marking her fourth career win and second graded tally (she won the Grade 3 Long Island Stakes at Aqueduct last November).

“She's a good filly too,” offered Clement. “She's trained very well. Her last two works in New York have been good. Two weeks ago, she worked with Gufo, my good colt, and she worked as well as he did. And then I sent her out on her own with [jockey] Dylan Davis. She worked very well again. Both fillies are very sound, they look great. For me, as a trainer, it is very exciting.”

Bred in Britain by Widgham Stud, Mutamakina is owned by Al Shiraa'aa Farms.

Clement, who has enjoyed great success at Woodbine over the years, including a Pattison Canadian International triumph with Relaxed Gesture in 2005, is looking to add an E.P. Taylor title to his résumé.

“I've been lucky at Woodbine, but never in the E.P. Taylor. Hopefully, we can change that luck on Sunday.”

Standing in the way is an accomplished group of turfers, including Court Return, a five-year-old daughter of Court Vision, who brings a mark of 2-6-1 from 19 races into Sunday's race. Bred and owned by Ivan Dalos, the Ontario-bred finished second to La Dragontea in the Canadian. The bay is trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll.

Etoile, from the stable of Chad Brown, will look to win consecutive runnings of the E.P. Taylor. Last year, the five-year-old French-bred daughter of Siyouni finished second in the Grade 2 Dance Smartly before her E.P. Taylor score. Owned by Peter Brant, Mrs. M.V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan, the bay mare, 4-3-0 from 12 career starts, once again finished second in the Dance Smartly.

Brown also sends out Kalifornia Queen (GER), a four-year-old daughter of Lope de Vega (IRE) and Great Island, a five-year-old daughter of Scat Daddy. Kalifornia Queen (3-2-2 from 12 starts) was second in the Grade 3 Matchmaker this July, a race won by Great Island (4-2-2 from eight starts).

Trainer Roger Varian sends out Waliyak (FR), a four-year-old daughter of Le Havre, who has a record of 4-5-3 from 14 starts. In her latest effort, the dark bay, owned by Fawzi Abdulla Nass, won the Group 3 Prix de Bertrand Tarragon on September 17.

Family Way (4-1-2 from 11 starts), a four-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, Merveilleux (4-3-2 from 15 starts), a four-year-old daughter of Paynter, and Keyflower (FR, 2-2-2 from eight starts), a three-year-old daughter of Kheleyf, complete the field.

Flying Trapeze won the inaugural running of the E.P. Taylor Stakes (known as the Nettie Handicap until 1981) in 1956. Trainers Lou Cavalaris Jr., Frank Merrill Jr., and Maurice Zilber have won three editions of the race. Kitty Girl (1957, 1958) is the only two-time winner.

The E.P. Taylor is the final event in Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series.

Launched in 2019, Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn is a points-based bonus series that includes three premier turf races for fillies and mares. The owner of the horse who has accumulated the most points upon the conclusion of the three races will receive a $50,000 bonus, while the owner whose horse has accumulated the second and third most points will receive a $15,000 and $10,000 bonus, respectively.

The Ladies of the Lawn Series began on Sunday, Aug. 22, with the Dance Smartly Stakes, followed by the Canadian Stakes on Saturday, Sept. 18. The inaugural winner of the 2019 Ladies of the Lawn Series was Starship Jubilee, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year.

Court Return, La Dragontea and Mutamakina share top spot with 10 points each. Merveilleux (8 points) and Etoile (7 points) are next.

As part of the Ladies of the Lawn series, Woodbine is supporting charity Rethink Breast Cancer. From August 22 to October 17, racing enthusiasts can bid on specially designed pillows created from new saddle towels featuring the Rethink Breast Cancer logo. Proceeds from the online auction will be donated to Rethink Breast Cancer to assist those living with breast cancer.

To view and bid on items, click on the link: https://www.32auctions.com/LadiesOfTheLawn

First post on Sunday is 12:55 p.m. Racing fans can watch and wager on the action through HPIbet.com and the Dark Horse Bets app.

$600,000 E.P. TAYLOR STAKES
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Walyiak – Jack Mitchell – Roger Varian
2 – Etoile – Irad Ortiz Jr. – Chad Brown
3 – Court Return – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
4 – Kalifornia Queen – Flavien Prat – Chad Brown
5 – Family Way – Kazushi Kimura – Brendan Walsh
6 – Mutamakina – Dylan Davis – Christophe Clement
7 – Merveilleux – Antonio Gallardo – Kevin Attard
8 – Great Island – Rafael Hernandez – Chad Brown
9 – Keyflower – Eddy Hardouin – Mauricio Delcher Sanchez
10 – La Dragontea – Joel Rosario – Christophe Clement

The post Clement Sends Formidable Pair For Stacked E.P. Taylor Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The great little bay, who stood 15.1 hands when he was feeling especially perky, was foaled 60 years ago, on May 27, 1961, and he overcame every barrier placed before him by nature or man.

Northern Dancer, it was said, was too small a yearling to be much good; he was a May foal and would need a lot of time to be any good; he was too small to be a classic horse; he did not have the pedigree to race effectively at 10 furlongs; he was too small to make a stallion; he was foaled in the wrong country; he was by an unimportant sire; he was standing in the wrong place to have a chance to succeed at stud.

With a toss of his dramatically striped head and a flourish of his thick, black tail, Northern Dancer proved all those comments wrong. Every one.

A winner in 14 of his 18 starts, Northern Dancer had a first-rate race record, but there have been horses with even more exemplary records who were, shall we say, less successful at stud. To the contrary, Northern Dancer was even more successful, even more influential, and even more pervasive as an influence at stud.

The greatest of the good sons by Nearctic, Northern Dancer was too big to stay in Canada; mares needed access to the horse, and owner-breeder E.P. Taylor obliged by developing Windfields Farm in Maryland, which became for a time the most important breeding operation in the world due to one stallion.

The demand for the offspring of Northern Dancer had to be seen to be believed, and in the sultry weather of the July select yearling sales in Kentucky especially, the money that his stock would bring in the heady days of the 1980s bloodstock boom would make anyone swoon.

And, if a single offspring of Northern Dancer would be chosen as the wellspring of the sire's reputation and the early star of his importance to the breed, that colt would be Nijinsky.

A big, stretchy bay rather unlike his sire, Nijinsky sold as a select yearling at the Ontario yearling sale in 1968. He was from his sire's second crop and was yet an excellent representative of the Northern Dancer type in body mass and racing enthusiasm.

Trained by Vincent O'Brien and racing for Charles Engelhard, Nijinsky won his first 11 races, including the only English Triple Crown from Bahram's in 1935 to the present. That the dashing, grand colt lost his last two races was unfortunate, but it wasn't the end of the world. Nijinsky retired, as planned, to stud at Claiborne Farm and became Northern Dancer's first great son at stud.

Many others followed, and that in itself is the greatest anomaly in all the exceptions to the norm that Northern Dancer flouted.

Even very good sires rarely get more than one really good son to carry on their male-line, but Northern Dancer had at least a half-dozen very high-class sons. In addition to Nijinsky, Northern Dancer's important sons included Sadler's Wells, Lyphard, Nureyev, The Minstrel, Vice Regent, Northern Taste, Storm Bird, and Danzig. If any of those are objectionable, there are others to fill their spot, such as Dixieland Band, El Gran Senor, Try My Best, Northfields, and Northern Baby.

Son after son sired a champion, a classic winner, or winners at the level in racing around the world.

Yet for all that transformative genetic energy, only a handful of those sons have bred on to the present, as the breed has regressed to the norm of typically only one or no successful sire to carry on for a very important stallion.

Of all the Northern Dancer sons, those male lines today that stand strongest are through Sadler's Wells (especially Galileo), Storm Bird (the Storm Cat crowd, especially Into Mischief today), and Danzig.

The latter is the male-line source through Green Desert for Helvic Dream (Power), winner of the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh over the weekend. Danzig is also source of the broodmare sire line through Danehill, and there are four other Northern Dancer lines in the pedigree of Helvic Dream. Lyphard through the great racer Dancing Brave and Lomond through his G2-winning daughter Inchmurrin do their part, and Nijinsky is twice in the pedigree, first through his son Green Dancer and then through the third dam of Helvic Dream, the winning Cascassi, who is a half-sister to Diminuendo (Diesis), winner of the English, Irish, and Yorkshire Oaks, all G1.

From the perspective of history, the more Northern Dancer we find in a pedigree, the better. Genetically, he's as close as we've come in breeding to something that's all good.

So on this May 27, take moment. Heave a sigh. Think of past glories and the little bay horse who could.

The post Bloodlines: Northern Dancer’s Small Stature And Long Shadow appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 64th running of the E.P. Taylor, a 1 ¼-mile turf test for fillies & mares, 3-year-olds and upward, is complemented by a trio of stakes events, including the 67th edition of the Northern Dancer, a 1 ½-mile grass engagement for 3-year-olds and upward.

Sunday's card will also see nine starters contest the $250,000 Nearctic (G2T), while eight hopefuls face off in the $100,000 Display Stakes.

Trainer Gail Cox has a trio of talented turfers taking up the Sam-Son Farm charge, namely, Rideforthecause in the E.P. Taylor, as well as Count Again and Say the Word in the Northern Dancer.

A 4-year-old daughter of Candy Ride (ARG), Rideforthecause rolls into the E.P. Taylor off two straight scores, both of them contested at Woodbine.

After an allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles on the Toronto oval Inner Turf on Aug. 1, the bay was back in the winner's circle on Sept. 12, winning the Canadian Stakes presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2) at the distance of about 1 1/8 miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Sent off at 22-1, the second longest shot on the board, Rideforthecause, with jockey David Moran aboard, took the lead in mid-stretch and went on to a four-length score over mutuel favorite Cambier Parc.

“I always thought she was a very nice filly,” praised Cox. “I knew that she needed a distance of ground, and she never got to do that. A mile-and-a-sixteenth on our outer turf course isn't that far. He [Moran] had never ridden her before and he said that she just did it as easy as could be. He was quite impressed.”

“I thought she was being overlooked [in the Canadian]. That's all. I train her so I have a little different outlook. I thought she was being overlooked because it was such a perfect distance for her.”

Now, the Ontario-bred will go after her fifth win in what will be the 11th start of her career.

Cox, who campaigned Sam-Son's El Tormenta to a 44-1 shocker in last year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile (G1T), is hoping to add another graded crown to her list of accomplishments on Sunday.

“She has been doing really well this year. It seems like she has become a little more settled with age. She was, as a young horse, a bit of a handful. She was nervous, but she's become way more settled. She's doing great. I wouldn't trade places with anyone. She's training well and she looks good. I'm very happy with her.”

Court Return, a 4-year-old daughter of Court Vision, goes after her second (Eternal Search Stakes) added-money title and first graded triumph. Bred and owned by Ivan Dalos, the Ontario-bred is 3-2-1 from 11 career starts.

Etoile, from the stable of Chad Brown, will look to build off a second-place effort in the Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) on Aug. 15 at Woodbine. The 4-year-old French-bred daughter of Siyouni has three wins and a pair of seconds from nine lifetime starts for the ownership group of Peter Brant, Mrs. M.V. Magnier, and Mrs. Paul Shanahan.

Multiple graded stakes winner, 4-year-old Elizabeth Way, goes for her third graded title. Trained by Roger Attfield, the daughter of Frankel won The Very One Stakes (G3T) and Nassau Stakes (G2T) this year. Owned by John McCormack, the chestnut is 3-2-2 from 12 career starts.

Pretty Point, trained by Patrick Gallagher, goes after her first stakes crown. The 4-year-old daughter of Point of Entry launched her career with three starts at Woodbine before heading to California. She arrives at the Northern Dancer off a fifth in the Rodeo Stakes Drive (G1T) on Sept. 26.

Secret Message, a 5-year-old daughter of Hat Trick (JPN), seeks her seventh win in what will be the 19th start of the dark bay's career. Trained by Graham Motion, the well-traveled dark bay mare won the 2019 running of the Nassau (G2T).

Bred and owned by Augustin Stable, Theodora B. aims for her third straight stakes score after taking the Dance Smartly (G2T) on Aug. 15 at Woodbine, and the TVG Stakes on Sept. 15 at Kentucky Downs. The daughter of Ghostzapper has a record of 6-5-3 from 18 lifetime starts.

The E.P. Taylor Stakes is the final event in Woodbine's Ladies of the Lawn Series. At the conclusion of the series, the connections of the top three point-earners will receive $75,000 in bonuses ($50,000 for first, $15,000 for second, $10,000 for third). Elizabeth Way (18 points), Rideforthecause (10 points) and Theodora B. (10 points) are the top three point-earners to date. The inaugural winner of the 2019 Ladies of the Lawn Series was Starship Jubilee, Canada's reigning Horse of the Year.

Flying Trapeze won the inaugural running of the E.P. Taylor Stakes (known as the Nettie Handicap until 1981) in 1956. Trainers Lou Cavalaris Jr., Frank Merrill Jr., and Maurice Zilber have won three editions of the race. Kitty Girl (1957, 1958) is the only two-time winner.

$600,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (Grade 1) – Race 7
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Rideforthecause – David Moran – Gail Cox

2 – Pretty Point – Luis Contreras – Patrick Gallagher

3 – Etoile – Rafael Hernandez – Chad Brown

4 – Theodora B. – Justin Stein – Michael Dickinson

5 – Court Return – Daisuke Fukumoto – Josie Carroll

6 – Secret Message – Kazushi Kimura – Graham Motion

7 – Elizabeth Way – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield

The post ‘Very Nice Filly’ Rideforthecause Enters Sunday’s E.P. Taylor On Two-Race Win Streak appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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